Southern California -- this just in

Gavin Smith case: Evidence 'indicates he was killed,' police say

Missing Fox executive Gavin Smith is now believed dead, likely the result of a homicide, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said.

Smith's car was found last month at a storage facility in Simi Valley.

"The condition of the vehicle in conjunction with
cooperating witness statements indicates he was killed," said Sheriff's Lt. David Dolson. "At this time, the
evidence leads us to believe he was murdered."

Authorities said they found Smith's Mercedes Benz after receiving a tip, Dolson said.

Smith's body has not been found.

The car was found at a storage facility linked to convicted drug dealer John Creech.

Smith, a former UCLA basketball player who worked in Fox's movie
distribution department, left a friend's home in Ventura County's Oak Park
neighborhood the night of May 1. Wearing purple athletic pants belonging
to one of his sons, Smith drove away in his Mercedes, leaving behind his
cellphone charger, shaving kit and other items.

In a statement Thursday, Creech was mentioned but was not called a suspect. Sheriff's officials were expected to release additional information to reporters Thursday afternoon at their homicide bureau headquarters.

Sheriff's officials also asked for the public's help in identifying "the person or persons involved" in moving Smith's car from the Porter Ranch area to the storage facility "on or about May 8 or 9, 2012."

Creech remains in custody at Men's Central Jail on an unrelated drug conviction from last year.

In an interview with a Times reporter at the time of his sentencing, John
Creech said he had never met Smith.

When asked why his property was searched, he said: "I would love to
tell you but I can't. I am told I cannot make any comments."

Search teams have combed the areas where Smith was last seen, and his
family spread word of his disappearance online and on local movie
screens. He was reportedly spotted at a Morro Bay restaurant in May, but
Dolson later said it proved “not to be a credible sighting.”

Smith's family — wife Lisa and sons Evan, Austin and Dylan — have
offered a $20,000 reward for information about Smith. In interviews, they declined to elaborate on why Smith was staying with the
friend instead of at the family home in West Hills, but Evan Smith had
previously tweeted that his father had left the family.

"Thoughts and prayers out to my amazing Mom and bros plz," he wrote
in an April 14 message. "My dad decided to leave the family last nite.
Real family sticks together."

The tweet was later deleted, but Evan Smith told E! News his parents
were not separated and were “just going through normal stuff couples go
through.”

Lisa Smith called her husband "the love of my life” at a June 5 news conference.